Friday, August 3, 2012

This video was made by Indiehouston.TV--I don't know who that is, or I'd give him or her credit by name. These sculptures form the Eclectic Menagerie Park, just off of 288 at Bellfort. I have never seen these before because I never go down 288--I guess now I'll have to make that trip! (Who knows what else I've missed?)

The Eclectic Menagerie Park was created by the owners of Texas Pipe several years back as a way to give back to the community. The art work displayed on this page is located at Texas Pipe's main facility in Houston Texas. It faces Interstate Highway 288, a major thoroughfare that runs through Houston, Texas. All of the art work has been designed and built by a local artist that has used steel or retired equipment from Texas Pipe. The park has continued to grow over the years, and there are currently 2 new sculptures in the works.

To which I must respond: who is the artist? It's weird that they don't name the artist, don't you think? If any Pan readers know the name of the artist, please let us know in the comments.

Despite the unfortunate lack of proper credit for the artist, I applaud Texas Pipe and Supply and would encourage other oil field businesses to do similar projects. Indeed, it should be a competitive thing with those guys--who can build the best recycled-oil-field-junk sculpture garden? C'mon Cameron! Let's go, FMC! You know you could kick ass at this, Stewart & Stevenson!

5 comments:

Texas Pipe and Supply is owned by the Rubenstein Family. They are the same ones who bought the old Teas Nursery to be a park for the city of Bellaire. They also have sculptures on land by their houses in Bellaire for all to see.

An eye sore? Art is in the eye of the beholder and the artist. The pieces on display are exquisite expressions of the past, the present, and potentially the future. The fantasy that is magically created fuels the imagination of anyone with an open mind and an appreciation for the talent as well as the hard work of the quite gifted artist. I see it as whimsical, nostalgic, and visual. It puts a smile on my face every time I take that route into Houston.

To the artist who created this joyful collection, here is a big, smiling, fun, and sincere THANK YOU.